LEWISTON – It’s not that Genevieve Lysen wants to be one of the best lacrosse players in the Twin Cities. It just happened.

It also just happened that Lysen transferred this season from Hebron, where she played lacrosse for two years, to Lewiston High School. Now she and a revamped Lewiston offense are hoping to break into the win column this season.

“Anything I can do to help the team, that’s what I want to be able to do here,” said Lysen. “I’m not worrying about a leadership role that isn’t mine right now.”

Not that Lysen wouldn’t be a good candidate to lead the young Blue Devils, who are still in search of a .500 or better season. Although she has played for only three years, she has developed a keen sense of awareness on the field and a speedy gait that allows her to weave in and out of defenders more quickly.

“I guess I’m the kind of person that can pick up a sport as it’s explained to me,” said Lysen. “I learned from some great coaches and they helped me to pick it up quickly.”

“It’s obviously still too early to know how she’s going to do,” noted Lewiston coach Don Jalbert. “But she’s going to help us. She has speed, she can handle the ball well and she can shoot.”

Lysen is the next in a line of talented offensive players that seem to trickle slowly into the Lewiston locker room every year.

“Last year, Kelsey Varney came in as a freshman and was like that, led the team in scoring,” said Jalbert. “This year, hopefully she can expand on that, and then on top of that we have Gen.”

One of the biggest potential problems that Lysen will face is fitting in, not only with her teammates, but at a new school, too.

“She’ll be fine as far as the team is concerned,” said Jalbert. “She’s very quiet on the field, follows everything well, and she’ll be able to prove that she’s an asset to the team.”

“I feel like I am watched more,” added Lysen. “I try not to think about it, but it’s inevitable. I am a new girl from another school that’s played the sport before, so I expected that.”

Fitting in with the league may pose more of a problem for Lysen, who for two years played at the prep league level.

“The referees definitely let a lot more go in that league,” admitted Lysen. “And the program at Hebron has been established for a longer time. The team is well-respected around school. Here it’s a bit different because it’s new. The team doesn’t have a lot of respect in the league yet, and the team itself is much younger.”

Despite the struggles, Lysen is making an immediate impact. In the team’s season opener, she scored two goals in a tight, one-goal loss to York.

“I guess I just don’t want them to think that I think that I am too good for them or something,” said Lysen. “I’m not trying to do that at all. I just want to help the team the best way I know how, and that to me is playing as well as I can.”

jpelletier@sunjournal.com